It is advantageous to cover the opening of a boat when a boat is not in use. When the boat is left at a dock, a cover over the opening reduces the amount of dirt that will accumulate in the opening and further protects the opening and any contents stored in the opening from weather, theft or vandalism. When a boat is towed by a motor vehicle, a cover over the opening will improve the wind resistance of the boat and also enables the boat owner to store articles in the opening during transport.
The boat covers currently available suffer from one primary defect. Specifically, the covers are very difficult to attach and remove. The most common means for attaching a flexible boat cover to a boat consists of metal snaps. The snaps are relatively small and are difficult to line up. During their useful life, canvas boat covers may shrink and therefore the user is forced to pull and stretch the used boat cover in order to line up the metal snaps for connection. Further, the metal snaps often break resulting in an additional frustration and cost to the boat owner.
Clearly, an improved means for attaching canvas or other flexible boat covers to boats is needed. The means for attaching the cover to the boat should be adjustable, i.e., the position of the connectors should be adjustable so that the boat owner does not need to physically stretch the boat cover in order to make a connection. Further, the system should preferably provide a means for tightening the cover once the attachment is made. It is important that a boat cover be tightly secured to a boat. For example, if the boat is to be towed at relatively high speeds on a highway, the boat cover needs to be tightly attached so it does not violently flap in the wind thereby causing undo wear and tear to the cover and damage to the boat. Further, a tightly secured boat cover is more likely to deter theft and vandalism than a loosely attached cover.